School Challenge
by Tien Shenhan
Summary: This is a short story that ties into my longer fan fiction 'Rise of Man.'
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Dragonball, DragonBall Z, and all characters therein are the exclusive property of Akira Toriyama, Bird Studios, and Toei Animation.

Chapter 1: Near-Do-Wells

It was the weekend. School was out, and for many elementary students that meant two days of fun, the key word being _many. _For the Crane School initiates, it meant one of the few unencumbered chances to train hard and stay sharp.

Since the end of summer vacation, Kato, Xin, Gen Si, and Den Sum had significantly less time to be trained by Chaotzu. Lately, the eternal child emperor spent his weekdays hanging around Kame Island with Oolong and his other friends. On the weekends however, he devoted himself to drilling the boys in preparatory exercises so that they would be ready for more advanced training when the time came.

At present Kato was attending the Northern Tournament with Mercenary Toa and Rolo Yeung, leaving just the three 'lower' initiates to Choatzu's stewardship. Regardless of what the ex-hit man said, Choatzu still believed that the other three boys had potential to be something. Granted of course that Kato's will power and inner strength were exceptional, the others had their own talents.

"Alright fellas! A few more kettlebell halos and then we'll move on to some more flutter-kicks!"

"We've….been doing this…for months," mouthed Xin in between breaths. "How about a change?"

"Yeah….." wheezed Gen Si Twan, his fat rolls giggling like some grotesque pot of heated peanut butter, "I'm dying…here!"

"You're always dying," giggled Den Sum. "Makes you wish you… were skinny like me, doesn't it?"

"At least….he isn't a fuckin puss!" shot Xin.

"Come on guys! Knock it off!" chided Choatzu. "Basics first just like your sifu said."

"You guys hear about the new school?" asked Xin.

"Pfft! As if they'd….. hold a candle to us!"

"Alright guys," started Choatzu, "Take a breather." The three boys dropped their respective bell weighs to the floor with a resounding 'clunk!' before falling on their rears.

"I Hope Kato is OK….," mused Gen Si.

"Worried about your butt-buddy flab-fairy?" asked Xin mockingly.

"Shut up!" snapped the obese nerd.

"Not this again," said Den Sum with an exasperated sigh. With Kato attending the tournament with Mercenary Toa and Yeung, Xin had to settle with harassing and picking fights with both Gen Si and himself.

As Saturday's session came to a close, the boys made their ways home. One of them, Den Sum, decided to take a shortcut through the bad parts of town.

During the day, the apartment slums didn't seem so uninviting. Granted of course the graffiti still made the place look like crap, it didn't seem so bad. Still, he was from an obscenely wealthy family though one couldn't tell with his Crane uniform and all.

Rounding a corner, the scrawny kid ran face-first into a much bigger kid. The larger kid fell back on his ass whereas the back of Den Sum's head collided with the hard concrete.

Cursing, the larger boy clutched his now bloodied nose fitfully.

"What happened?" demanded an even larger kid. He was followed by another boy, this one so chunky he looked like a shaved ape.

"Little fucker ran into me!" screeched the downed boy.

Nursing his head, Den Sum was screaming like a baby.

"What a pussy?" guffawed one of the three boys. The three older kids wore yellow monk uniforms emblazoned with the insignia of a river.

"Err…I am not!" pouted Den Sum.

"Hey!" chimed the chunky one, "Look at the get-up he's wearing. You dressed for a slumber party?"

"Check out the symbol," said the largest of the three. "He's from that other school across town!"

"Eww…..! Little titty sucker studies martial arts huh?"

Den Sum was scrambling backwards on his rear, doing everything he could to make some space between him and the three inbred meatheads. Unintentionally, he backed himself into a brick wall, cutting off his escape.

"What a joke!" crowed the hefty one. "My little sister looks manlier than you."

"Wanna teach em a lesson?"

"Let's shit-stomp em!" added the bloodied one.

Before Den Sum knew what hit him, a foot collided with the side of his face. The undersized boy wailed furiously as each larger boy took a turn stomping him in the gut and groin.

Den Sum curled into a fetal position, hoping it would guard him from his attackers. Face down on the concrete, his blood and tears stained the sidewalk.

"Grab him," commanded the largest one. Suddenly, Den-Sum found himself being yanked painfully off the ground by the hair. Hair was ripped out of the root as the crying boy was hurled into an alley just out of view.

"You busted my nose," growled the first aggressor. "Here's your victory dunk." Unbuckling his pants, the kid in question pissed all over Den Sum. The other two bullies stood watch at separate ends of the alley.

His work finished, the juvenile attacker grabbed Den Sum by the scruff of his shirt and tossed him face-first in a garbage can. Before the aggressor could do anything more, a shout rang through the alley….

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BRATS DOING!" screamed a large dog from atop a fire escape.

"Shit! Let's get outta here!" The three offending boys scampered away as fast as their feet would carry them.

"I'M CALLIN THE FUCKIN COPS!" came another scream. Reaching street level, the dog, an anthromorph like Oolong and Puar, grabbed Den Sum by the waist and pulled the battered youth from the trash bin.

"You OK son?" asked the canine.

Finding his voice, Den Sum squeaked "Yes…"

"The hell you are! Let's get you outta here." Grabbing the frightened boy by the wrist, the dog brought him along.

The next day at the Crane School, Gen Si and Xin did their pre-exercise stretches.

"Where is Den Sum?" asked Choatzu puzzled. "He's a little late."

As if on Q, the door squeaked open and in came the little boy in question.

"Den Sum you're…." Choatzu started. The eternal child stopped himself short upon seeing the kid. Bruises, cuts, and bloodied marks were all over his face, arms, and had he not been wearing a shirt, he'd sport a collection there.

"What happened?" asked Gen Si obviously concerned.

Falling back in a nearby chair, the kid buried his messed up face in his hands. All that could be heard in the room were Den Sum's sniffles. "They hurt me…."

"Who? Who hurt you?" demanded Choatzu.

"Who cares?" said Xin nonchalantly before Den Sum could say anything. He was silenced however when Choatzu threw a glare his way.

"Boys in yellow," whimpered the squalling child.

"Yellow?"

"Did they have a river mark?" asked Xin, suddenly a little curious.

"Yes…," mouthed the kid.

"What does it mean?" asked Choatzu.

"They're members of the new dojo that opened across town," answered the young roughneck.

"Those bastards!" cursed Gen Si.

"Don't see why you're getting so worked up over it," said Xin with a shrug.

"Yeah," agreed Choatzu, "We'll just call the police and have them do something about it. That way, we should know something real soon."

"No, that's not what I meant," Xin countered. "Den Sum got beat up because he was too weak and cowardly to do anything. He deserves what he gets."

"Hey! That's not right Xin!" Choatzu scolded. However, before he could finish, Gen Si interrupted.

"Yeah! Instructor Choatzu is right!" said Gen Si in a very preachy tone, "This is an affront to our school!"

"Wait that's not-"

"We need to teach those Yellow River yellow bellies a lesson!" declared Gen Si.

"Now that's what I like to hear," growled Xin menacingly. "Where you been hiding this side of yourself Lard-Ass?"

"Where I keep pictures of your mother," replied the chubby sarcastically. "Let's kick some butt!"

"Hey, wait! Stop!" commanded Choatzu. "Oh no….."

Both boys darted for the door. On the way out, Gen Si grabbed Den Sum and proceeded to drag him along.

"Aww crap!" the eternal child huffed. He quickly trudged after the riled up youths.

Elsewhere in town, nefarious characters met in a smoke-filled room to plot their next move. The layout of the place was similar to what one might find in a corporate boardroom, albeit a little tasteless. Overhead, a projector light flickered on and off, providing sporadic lighting in an otherwise darkened setting.

"It's good to have you here gentlemen," a fairly obese man drawled. The shady fellow wore a striped business suit with matching fedora. In his teeth he gnashed down on a massive Papaya Island cigar. His cheeks dropped with fat such that it gave him the appearance of a hairless bulldog.

Across from him, an assortment of various representatives from several far-flung chapters of both the Yakuza and the notorious Axe Gang settled around a spacious fold-out table. The men in question were all vetted scumbags of the worst kind: Human traffickers, professional killers, money launderers, smack dealers, counterfeiters, and larcenists.

"Enough with the pleasantries!" snapped another from across the room. "I can't stay away from my dealings for long. What's this all about?"

"Yesss…." hissed another, this one an anthromorphic snake. "I have a target on Ssssouth Island due in five daysss… My client won't wait."

Clearing his throat, the overweight gangster cut straight to the chase. "I'm sure you all remember the debacle in Nikki Town."

"How could we not?" sighed a tall black man in sunglasses, "We lost some serious scratch in that sinkhole! Some of the best crack crankers in the business thrown away like trash."

"From what I heard, their bodies are still gathering flies in some apartment complex," added yet another, this one an older Chinese male with more blotches than Botox.

"Yes, well I've sent the best in the business to tie up that loose end." The flabby crime boss added with a shit-eating grin. "I assure you that Rolo Yeung will pay for what his meddling cost us! We should be getting some feedback on this endeavor shortly."

"I ssstill think we ssshould have let sssleeping dogsss lie," drawled the snake. "Ssseriously, Mr. Hacchi! The boy issss not a viable threat any more. Mercenary Toa will not take thisss lying down!"

"I don't think Mercenary Toa knows about our involvement. He's been too far removed from things for too long. Believe me when I say that this'll never get back to us."

"In any case," began another, "Why are you opening another operation in this city? This town seems a little unimportant, money-wise anyway. It's been going downhill for years."

"Exactly!" stated Hacchi. "Crime has gone up incrementally in past decades! It's a perfect opportunity to make back what we lost in Nikki Town and allow us to recruit some fresh hoods into our ranks."

"You do realize this is the same berg that Mercenary Toa has set up shop in?" pressed the black man cocking an eyebrow. "There's more to this, isn't there?"

"Very astute." The oversized crime lord swiveled in his chair for effect. "If The Iron Bullet fails in killing Yeung at the Northern Budokai, I want somewhere close from where we can strike in the future."

"A fine strategic initiative Hacchi!" praised a balding man in the corner, this one wearing suspenders. His voice carried a thick Irish accent.

"Ya got that right Paddywhack!" The grotesque grin the flabby crime lord wore stretched even further.

Suddenly, Mr. Hacchi's cell phone went off. This had the comical effect of causing half the room to jump.

"Hello?" he greeted. "What? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S DEAD!"

Mr. Hacchi in his frustration bit down on his cigar so hard that the thing snapped in half. "Where are you?"

Hanging up, the oversized mob boss rubbed his temples.

"I take it that was your contact in North Metro?" the Ax Gang head Mr. Ho inquired.

"It seems our young nuisance has managed to bump off The Iron Bullet," Hacchi explained. "This changes things! I want all our boys in this town to hit up the Crane School! Tell em to kill whoever's there!"

Elsewhere, the three Crane Students, followed closely by their instructor arrived at their destination. The Yellow River Dojo was very elaborate in its' architecture, not classical in its' design in any sense.

"You think we should knock?" asked Gen Si.

"Look guys! We're just here to talk to the head instructor about what happened."

Stepping up to the front door, the eternal child emperor stepped inside.

Once inside, the three Crane initiates made themselves somewhat comfortable. The layout of the lobby was somewhat more lavish than that of their own dojo, with lounge chairs in a well air conditioned setting.

Choatzu approached the front desk, behind which sat a gorgeous blonde woman in her mid to late twenties.

"Hello, there," greeted the attendant.

"Umm…hi," Chaotzu returned, "I'd like to file a complaint with whoever's in charge here."

"What kind of a complaint?"

"There was an attack upon one of my students by a few guys from this school," answered Choatzu. Suddenly, a loud yell rang through the lobby….

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" came a cry.

Xin, Gen Si, and Den Sum jumped from their seats and Choatzu twirled around to see a group of large boys, students bearing the insignia of the Yellow River Temple gathered in an open causeway. They had looks that could kill and their body language was tense. These dudes were looking for an excuse to get into a tussle. Among them were two of the boys that attacked Den Sum the day before.

Upon noticing the two hoodlums, Den Sum cringed behind Choatzu and the others. This wasn't lost on Choatzu who cast a cold glare at the group of Yellow River students.

"Where do you get off coming in here making such blatant accusations?" the lead student snidely inquired. The eternal child ruler's eyebrows shot to the ceiling.

"Now hold on here! I just wanted to file a complaint!" snapped the little pale psychic.

"Check out their logos," motioned one of the other Yellow River pupils, this one being one of three who assaulted Den Sum. "These guys are from the other school across town!"

"I noticed," answered the head grunt. "Tell you guys what! You point out the dudes that committed the assault and I'll kick their asses myself. I can't have my juniors going to juvenile over horseshit!"

"No, it's a little more serious than that I'm afraid," mouthed Choatzu. "One of my students got beat up and suffered ritual humiliation."

"Look shorty," pressed the other fella, his hand snaking around Choatzu's back. "I'm sure we can work something out." Choatzu felt the man slip a hand in his pocket. Reaching in, Choatzu fished out 50 zenni.

Outward, the pale-skinned emperor showed no signs of emotion. Inside however, he was a sea of rage. He tore the monetary note in half and tossed it back in the older grunt's face. The Yellow River students looked like they wanted to eat the pale midget Z- Senshi for breakfast.

"I'm calling the cops," said Choatzu as he did a roundabout for the exit.

"Oh contrar," growled the leader of the grunts, "You're gonna stay and we're gonna kick your ass!"

"No, I'm calling the cops!" asserted Choatzu.

Just as the man in question was about to lay a hand on Choatzu, the eternal emperor let loose with a powerful nerve strike to the offenders' elbow. It was like a gust of wind. No one saw it.

Screeching in pain, the Yellow River heckler clutched his right arm fitfully. Soon, Choatzu and his three charges found themselves surrounded by the thuggish pupils of the temple. Several more poured into the room to see what the commotion was.

"What the fuck is going on out here?" demanded one of the newcomers.

"These jackasses are making trouble!" answered another over the screaming.

"Let's get em!"

Choatzu monitored the group of students surrounding him and the others. In his mind's eye, he felt no fighting energy of note. All of them were average martial artists. Stretching out his senses however, he detected two powers in the back of the building, each far exceeding the gaggle of goons in the room.

Choatzu thought for a split second about his course of action. The problem with fighting these guys is that he had to restrain himself so damned much to keep from accidently killing the lot of them. Training under King Kai and later for Dr. Gero's cyborgs would do that to ya. The boys had come far in their training. Though younger than most of the Yellow River students in the room, they had over eight months in experience in Crane initiate training. They had more power than they were aware of. That settled things…

"Guys!" exclaimed Choatzu. The three boys whipped around to pow-wow with their instructor.

"How are we gonna get outta this one?" asked Gen Si.

"You mean 'How are you guys gonna get outta this one?'" Choatzu corrected. The reaction on the boys' faces was a mix of emotions ranging from 'WTF?' to 'Oh fuck no!'

"Use this as just another training exercise," explained the eternal child. "If you beat these guys, your sifu Toa will likely let you advance in your training." With that, Choatzu phased out in a rush of ki-powered super speed that left the Yellow River grunts scratching their heads in bewilderment.

"OH, YOU 'VE GOT TO BE KIDDIN ME!" screeched a panicked Den Sum.

"I prefer it this way," spoke Xin calmly. The young roughneck cracked his knuckles furiously and stepped up to a group of opposing students.

"First I get dropped from a cliff and now this," muttered Gen Si crouching into a stance. "Should'a joined the scouts!"

"Why are you whining?" asked Xin. "This was _your_ idea!"

"Let's have a free-for-all!" cheered Xin enthusiastically before dashing into the fray. Drawing back, the burly youth let loose with a hard right that bowled over five of the Yellow River students.

This triumph was short-lived however, as more Yellow River peeps jumped out from behind the pile of walloped students. For the most part, these students gave up all pretense of style and started to dog pile, grabing whatever they could, choking and pulling on Xin.

On the opposite side of the room, Gen Si had one of the Yellow River pupils pinned under his big, cushy butt. Bending over, the chubby Crane initiate began to frog the hapless River student in the ear until he started to cry.

Den Sum wasn't faring so well. The scrawny boy was being chased around the room by two of the boys who had beaten him the day before. Too scared to fight back, the youth flailed and screamed furiously.

"A little help?" whined Den Sum. Just as one of his attackers made a dive for him, the kid jumped out of reach.

"Oh, for the love of-," began Gen Si but before he could finish, his face caught the back of a wooden chair. It was hard enough having to fight off so many attackers from so several directions, let alone having to worry about protecting someone else while doing it.

There was no organized fighting or style, only a crazy schoolyard tussle. None of the three boys were using martial arts in their efforts at flummoxing the Yellow River grunts.

Floating high above the melee, Choatzu face-palmed. The past eight months he had spent with the boys had been relegated to bulking them up. As far as technique went however, he hadn't spent more than two weeks drilling them. Granted of course that their opponents were fresh meat as well but still….

Xin and to a lesser extent Gen Si Twan used their advanced power training to throw around their opponents like ragdolls. By this point in their strength training, they were already far stronger than a normal human so the Yellow River folks barely qualified as a workout. The problem was that they were outnumbered ten to one. On top of that, Den Sum was running around like a teenage girl in a horror flick. The scene was comical to say the least.

"HELP!" the small boy wailed frantically.

Surging up from the floor, Gen Si dragged at least five of his assailants with him. "Darn it Tang! Do something already!"

And do something he did. Den Sum made a dive under the couch and curled up towards the wall, leaving his pursuers scrambling back and forth trying to grab him from both sides. After a few moments, the two boys gave up and rejoined the other River students in bum-rushing Xin and Gen Si.

Xin grabbed the grunt who had attempted to bribe Choatzu before and put the older teen in a crushing headlock. The other Yellow River students had given up on trying to tackle Xin and were making half-hearted dives at his feet in an effort to knock the Crane student off balance.

"Say uncle!"

"Unnncclee…." gagged the assailed instructor before promptly blacking out. Xin hefted the teen over his shoulder and flung him into a charging horde of other combatants.

Three River students managed to pry Den Sum out from under the couch and two of them were holding each arm while the third was preparing to land a punch to the kid's face. Den Sum flinched violently at the prospect of having his face smashed like a piñata. Survival instincts finally won out, and the scrawny boy's rage erupted.

Den Sum's arms wrenched from the grip of his three assailants. Reaching forward, the boy of wealthy upbringing seized one of the Yellow River grunts and jerked him off the floor by the collar of his monk's uniform before unceremoniously hurling the older boy right into the lounge secretary's desk.

The other kids that had been attacking him were so stunned that they darted out of the room like scalded dogs. Those who had engaged Xin and Gen Si however, did more limping than darting.

"At least that's over," sighed Gen Si wiping sweat from his brow. The chubby fella's glasses were twisted and broken on the floor.

Stepping up beside him Xin remarked, "And here I was thinking I was gonna get some exercise." He continued to crack his knuckles menacingly.

"Can we just go home now?" pleaded Den Sum. Choatzu floated down right next to his three charges.

"So…, how'd we do coach?" asked Gen Si.

"I give you a six outta ten," Chaotzu answered flatly.

"Huh? Come on!" chided Xin. "That was at least an eight!"

"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you boys!" boomed a voice.

All four spun around to meet its' owner. From around the corner an elderly man wearing a heavily worn monk's robe stepped into the room. The man sported a foo-manchu beard, a massive necklace of rosary beads around his neck, and a green sash that draped across his shoulder and around his torso. He bore a peerless gaze that seemed to border between empty and farseeing, like he was looking not at them but past them.

Choatzu matched this elderly man's gaze with one of his own. He could tell that this old man bore one of two of the stronger ki signatures from earlier.

"Why have you done this?" demanded the elder male hotly.

"There was a misunderstanding," Choatzu replied calmly.

"What kind of misunderstanding warrants such delinquency!"

Choatzu held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Give me a moment! I can explain!"

"Hmph!" The old man walked over to the secretary's desk and picked up a mobile phone. Opening the phone, he turned back to Choatzu and the others. "You have five minutes."

"One of my students," began Choatzu motioning to Den Sum, "was assaulted yesterday by members of this school. We've already talked to the police on the matter, and we've come here to file a complaint with your dojo."

"A complaint?" repeated the old male. Reaching out with a hand, he gestured to all the River students laid out on the floor, "You call this a complaint?"

"They started trouble," said Choatzu. "It was in self-defense!"

"I see….," drawled the elder monk. Turning back to Choatzu, the old man bore a grin of amusement. "Granted you boys were heavily outnumbered, I must say I'm a little impressed."

"If you call a schoolyard scuffle impressive," Choatzu retorted.

"I'll tell you what! You four boys fight me," offered the old man. "If you win, I won't call the authorities."

"So…., you're telling me that if these three boys win, you'll drop the whole thing?"

"Just those three?" The man's eyebrows shot to the ceiling. "Are you sure they'll be sufficient?"

"Yeah…., I'm only here to watch over em."

"A babysitter?" The elderly man didn't seem impressed.

"No! Their martial arts instructor," Choatzu corrected.

"Hmm…., the man who sponsored the opening of this dojo told me we had staunch competition in this town but still…." The older man's shit-eatting grin became more ferel, …..more sly.

"If you're going to do this, can we at least step outside?" asked Choatzu. From behind him stepped Gen Si.

"What's your name old man?"

"Ah, certainly! Where are my manners?" The ancient looking man bowed graciously to his soon-to-be opponents. "Perhaps it is best that I formally introduce myself. I am Zool Uhn, head instructor of this dojo."

"I'm Gen Si," greeted the obese boy. "This is Xin and that over there is Den Sum."

"From the Tang family?"

"You know him?" asked Choatzu, his curiosity suddenly piqued.

"Who doesn't know about his mother? Den Sum's family has been wealthy for centuries." Turning towards the door, the aged instructor motioned for the others to follow him.

Author's Note: Yes, I understand that with the exception of Choatzu and references to the Crane School this story has relatively little to do with anything Dragonball. It's a sub-arc that ties into my other fan fiction, Rise of Man. More importantly, it and the quarterfinals fight between Yeung and Rat in Rise of Man set the stage for one of the primary plots in the sequel to Rise of Man.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Glass Half Full

Where the head instructor of the Yellow River Temple led them was not where Choatzu had expected.

"The parking lot….?" the short pale Esper said incredulously.

"You and your friends prefer somewhere else I take it?" asked the old instructor.

"No…, the parking lot's fine, it's just…." Choatzu stared out at the crowded sidewalk at the end of the lot. Business hours were in full swing and the denizens of the city jostled and pushed, going about their daily business.

"I chose the parking lot so that we would have plenty of witnesses," explained Zool Uhn. "Considering the circumstances, I don't trust you. I assume the same is true on your end!"

"Let's just get this over with," Xin said out of turn. "Word of warning though; I beat down kids for their lunch money. I ain't got nothing against beatin' your old ass!"

"Xin!" Choatzu hissed warningly.

"I don't wanna fight him!" stammered Den-Sum, his voice quaking in panic.

"Perhaps you boys would like to stretch first," offered the middle-aged instructor.

"Do it guys!" Choatzu ordered. "And watch your backs! This one is gonna be tougher than the others."

"Right…." Xin snickered arrogantly.

"OK, here's the plan," said Gen Si. "If we attack together we can do this! He's over the hill after all."

The three boys approached the elder Yellow River Fist practitioner with caution. The aged man's face betrayed nothing. He stood stock-still with his hands palm down against his sides.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" muttered Den-Sum as he tip-toed up to the aged man.

Suddenly, Xin darted past his fellow Crane students in a bellicose rage. Right arm drawn tight, the hefty nine year old prepared to deliver a hard right that would have put any grown man to shame.

As the high-powered punch sallied on however, Xin came to a screeching halt. Just as the blow was about to hit home, Xin felt something rip into him, something that stopped the little knuckle-dragger in his tracks.

Den-Sum and Gen Si gaped in abstract horror as their fellow student crumpled to the floor in a convulsing fit. The two wasted no time in putting some distance between themselves and the utterly ruthless instructor.

Choatzu was equally mortified by this grizzly turn of events. No one else would have seen it, but he saw it all. To the untrained eye it looked as if the Yellow River instructor had delivered a soft push with his hand but Choatzu knew better. Years of fighting had taught him well. The Tazanchi instructor had used some kind of advanced palm skill.

"Guys! Come on back!" yelled the undersized Z warrior. "We're done here." Gen Si and Den-Sum however, didn't even hear him. The two were locked in their own little twilight zone of fear.

"I would suggest you listen to your teacher," said the man. "Your friend here is gravely injured! I'd forget about this senseless fight and get him to a doctor."

"You…. monster….," Gen Si growled through grit teeth. Sure he didn't like Xin but something about this whole thing just didn't sit well with him.

"There is no monster in an assassin's fist!" declared the Tazanchi teacher who held his own fist out for effect, "It's kill or be killed!"

By this time, a ring of onlookers had formed around the scene, mortified by the sight before them.

"What happened?!"

"OH MY GOD! CALL AN AMBULENCE!"

Stepping forward, Choatzu turned the burly youth onto his back. The brawny kid's brow was scrunched in twisted pain. It was a miracle he was still conscious at all.

Looking up from the boy, Choatzu then noticed something puzzling. The Yellow River Tazanchi Fist practitioner's hands were completely clean. The ground was stained crimson where Xin lay, but Zool Uhn's hands were bloodless.

"How'd I do teach?"

"Xin!" Choatzu smacked the kid across the face a few times to keep him from going into shock. "How many fingers am I holding up?!"

"If I say three, can I have a cookie?" Comedy at this time was the last thing they needed.

"HOLD ON KID!" screamed the short Z-warrior, "I-I'll get you to a hospital."

Gen Si Twan's eyes locked with those of the elderly instructor. The instructor for his part fixed the boy with a cold, mirthless stare of his own. "Again, if I were you I'd take your teacher's advice and walk away."

"Well, you're not me," Gen Si replied defiantly.

Tugging at the obese boy's arm Den-Sum begged, "Come on Gen Si! You saw what he did to Xin. Let's get outta here!"

"Go if you want!" Gen Si snapped, his words edged with venom, "If Kato were here, he would stay and fight!"

"So, what's it gonna be?" The older martial artists' gaze looked as if it could burn a hole right through them.

"Good God Gen Si!" hissed Den-Sum. The small boy was torn on the inside between fleeing for his life and standing by his fellow student. Running his hand through his hair, he tried to look anywhere but at their opponent.

Gen Si, much to Den-Sum's dismay began to inch towards the aged Yellow River practitioner.

"You're either very brave or very foolish boy," the instructor commented. "We'll soon know which."

Ignoring the patronizing remarks of his target, Gen Si continued to approach his opponent at an agonizingly slow pace. The kid held his outstretched hand forward in some sort of defensive gesture. Far behind him, Den-Sum cowered….

'_I want to help,' _thought the cringing boy, _'I really do, it's just…'_

Once within Zool Uhns' range, Gen Si didn't even get a chance to strike. Reaching out, the Yellow River practitioner thrust an open palm, stopping just short of the obese minors' face. A split second was all it took and Gen Si was sent flying backwards. The rotund kid rolled like a fleshy beach ball before face-planting on the pavement.

"Gen Si," whimpered Den-Sum coming up beside his downed comrade. "Please be okay…"

"I'm….fine," growled Gen Si. The youth drew himself from the asphalt. His face was all torn with skid marks.

"My God! That last one messed you up bad…"

"No," Gen Si snarled. "That wasn't it! He didn't even touch me…"

"What do you mean?" asked Den-Sum.

"I don't know," answered Gen Si. "It….it felt like wind."

"A stupid kid like you isn't worthy enough to wash my car," sneered the old man. "Even if you trained twenty years, it still wouldn't help you."

"You bully!" screamed a random female spectator. A glare from the old Yellow River instructor shut her up quick.

"Gen Si…..please," Den Sum whimpered.

Inside, Gen Si was steaming. Ever since his friend Kato was elevated by their teacher to the next level, he had beat himself up for his weakness. He tried to keep up. Within his heart of hearts he tried. This was his test! His chance to prove he could be his friend's keeper!

"I don't care!" Gen Si snapped testily. Den Sum's cowardice that was usually tolerable was starting to cramp his style. "Back me up or get outta here!"

Tearing some dangling flesh from his pudgy face, Gen Si wiped the blood from his eyes and began inching forward yet again. Zool Uhn's eyebrows shot up to the sky.

"You're still coming after me?!"

Gen Si didn't answer. The fat kid got within range and tried to trade blows again but to no avail. His inexperience, lack of talent, and dismal reach left him at the end of another thrashing. The boy was sent rolling away with another Tazanchi Palm strike.

This time, Zool Uhn's patience had worn thin. He began to stalk after the rotund boy.

Seeing his friend laid out face-first on the pavement did something inside Den Sum. A floodgate of courage came pouring open and he situated himself between his fallen fellow student and the Yellow River instructor.

"PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!" wailed the scrawniest of the Crane students. The small child held out his arms as if to ward off the older man.

"Take your friend and leave!" demanded Zool Uhn. "I grow tired of his games."

Choatzu came up beside his young charge. Reaching down, Den Sum rolled his comrade over. His face and uniform were a bloody mess.

"Gen Si, are you still with us?!" The concern in Choatzu's voice was almost choking.

"I'm….Okay," uttered the portly boy.

Den Sum dried his eyes with his sleeve. "Oh thank goodness…"

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah…" Den Sum and Choatzu each grabbed an arm and helped Gen Si to his feet.

"You've got guts kid," Choatzu remarked.

"He sure does!" nodded Den Sum in agreement.

"You all look a little worse for wear now. I'm sure this will make a good story for Mercenary Toa when he gets home."

"Mercenary Toa?!" The elder Tazanchi instructor had been off to the side listening intently to their banter. The mention of the world famous killer was more than enough to get a rise from him.

"Our head teacher," said Choatzu. "You know him?"

The elder instructor shook his head, "No, I know of him. Rat, the infamous 'Iron Bullet,' the highest practitioner of all our dojos rails incessantly against the old assassin."

"Why so?"

"They have a history…. Let's just leave it at that," the instructor supplied.

"Ok…." Choutzu knew when to leave well enough alone. Considering his former teacher's past criminal activities, he wanted to be sure that his three charges had as much distance from old Toa Pai-Pai's baggage as he could get them.

"UNCLE UHN!"

All those present whipped around to see a short, beautiful little girl dart out of the school lobby. She was Asian, most likely of Chinese decent like the rest of them and wore her jet black hair short cropped. Her Yellow River fighting gi was tailored to be more feminine than that of her fellow male students and her eyes were a jade green. She didn't seem to be any older than the Crane students.

The little girl came to a stop among the group and looked crossly at the head instructor. "For goodness sake Uncle! Are you out here fighting again?!"

The elder instructor put his hands behind his head and laughed sheepishly at his young charge. "Tango! We were just having a friendly exhibition match….Hehehehe…."

"_Sure _you were…." The girl rolled her eyes at her gaurdian. "Mind introducing me?"

In spite of the direness of Xin's injury, Chaotzu couldn't help but gape at the little girl before him. Earlier he had sensed two much stronger entities within the Yellow River Dojo. He hadn't expected this dainty looking girl to be the second. Her ki signature absolutely dwarfed that of her instructor!

"Umm… hello!? Ya gonna say something or just gawk at me?!"

Choutzu shook himself out of his revie and picked up the downed Xin. "I'm sorry… Me and the others have to go."

Taking flight, the eternal child took off with Xin in tow. People in the surrounding crowd gawked and cheered as the two raced off into the sky. That left Gen Si and Den-Sum with this new arrival.

"Another one bites the dust, huh Uncle?"

The older man cast a reproaching glare at his charge who immediately buttoned it.

"So…," began the Yellow River teacher, "Where do we go from here?"

"You could let me handle them," suggested Tango, cracking her knuckles minecingly.

"They're hardly worth your effort," remarked the elder male.

"Listen…," Gen Si seethed. "Me and my friend have had enough! We'll leave…."

"_Awe_… Looks like he's gonna tuck tail and run!" chided Tango playfully. "And before I even get a chance to fight no less! That's OK, I have that effect on people."

This got Gen Si's heckles up faster than anything. "You arrogant little witch…."

"The fuck did you just call me?!" demanded the girl.

"Oh no…" sputtered Den-Sum. He knew, somehow he knew this wasn't going to end well.

"YOU HEARD ME!" screamed the portly Crane student.

"All I'm hearing is a bunch of whinning from some loser trash!"

"Tango…." Her uncle ground out. The little girl wass quick to shut her mouth.

Not looking back, the two Crane students left in a huff. Den-Sum for his part was just glad it was over. If filling a complaint caused this much drama, the scrawny boy would forever be satisfied with being a pushover.

Gen Si Twan however, was seething inside. He'd been weighed, been measured, and found wanting. Deep down he knew this one thing; there would be other days.

"Den-Sum!" he growled.

"What?"

"I want Kato to know everything about this." Gen Si Twan said. Turning to his friend he added with hateful intent, "Everything…."

"This was our trouble," answered Den-Sum. "Why should we get our friend mixed up in this?"

"This was the school's trouble," Twan corrected. "We had an opportunity and we blew it. Kato will succeed where we failed."

The chubby Crane initiate jutted a bro-fist foreward. "Let's make a promise to ourselves."

"What kind of a promise?" asked Den-Sum in a puzzled tone.

"A pact between men!" he continued. "A promise that we will never allow our school to lose face again."

"Will I have to do anything dangerous?" asked Den-Sum wearily.

"Maybe." Gen could only be honest with his fellow student. For them to maintain the reputation of their dojo, little Den-Sum was gonna have to do some serious manning up.

"I guess so, sure," conceded the well-born kid. He met Gen Si's bro-fist half-heartedly with one of his own.

"You better live up to this," said Gen Si, "I don't need you or Xin getting in the way."

Den-Sum wanted to say something in his own defense but decided to leave it at that. Staying together for protection, the two boys continued their trek home.

"HEY GUYS!"

The two boys looked up to see Choatzu floating in from on high.

"Sup Teach?" greeted Gen Si.

"Did you get Xin to the hospital in time?!" asked Den-Sum the concern evident in his voice.

"Yes!" answered Choatzu, his tone panicky. "Xin's alright, but that's not why I'm here! Something bad has happened at the dojo!"

"Is it those Yellow River punks again?" growled Gen Si.

"I'm not sure….I dropped Xin off at the clinic and when I got to the school, the place was ransacked!"

_Flashback….._

_After checking Xin into the local clinic, Choatzu made his way back to the Dojo to take care of some odds and ends. In his abscense, Mercenary Toa had left him responsible for taking calls from potential new clients. The sight that met him when he arrived was horrifying…._

_Grafitti covered the front paneling around the main building, windows were knocked out, and the glass front doors had been shattered. In the parking lot, furniture that had been hauled out of the lobby had been set ablaze in a bonfire at the base of a lightpost. _

_Nothing could have prepared Choatzu for what was hanging from the said lightpost. Dangling just above the fire hung a mutilated corpse, the roasted flesh still smoking and hissing from the heat of the flames._

_Years of fighting the likes of Piccolo, the Saiyans, and the Ginyu Force didn't steel him for this kind of barbarism. Though he didn't recognize the body, it didn't take too much sense to guess that whoever did this conducted a random killing just to send a message. _

_The eternal child emporer fought hard to keep his stomach contents down. His knees gave out and Choatzu found himself on all fours shaking. He'd seen a lot of things over the years….Hell! He'd done some awful things when he was being trained under Shin but this was just too much._

End flashback….

"I want you two to go home and check on your folks," Chaotzu commanded. "Go and see if they're OK. I called the police earlier and told them everything."

Choatzu deliberately ommitted his discovery of the charred body when recounting his story to the boys. Kids like Gen Si and Den-Sum shouldn't have to hear that kind of stuff.

"Also, don't come to the school next Saturday," he warned, "I'll come get each of you and we'll train in another location. I don't want any of you to do anything that will attract too much attention until after Mercenary Toa and Yeung get back from North Metro. On top of that, walk a different route to school tomarrow."

"How come?" asked Den-Sum.

"If it was the Yellow River School, I don't want either of you getting cornered alone," the Z warrior explained. "Let's just say that I have a real bad feeling about all of this."

Author's Note: I know it's beenm a long time since I've updated either of my stories. I've had to move twive so the last 9 months of my life have been very hectic. That, and I've been trying my damndest to lay down some roots in the area I've moved into. I'll try to be more punctual with my future updates. Thank's to all of those out there who have been patient. 


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